Tv program selector



Aug. 20, 1957 F. J. PEARNE 2,803,075

Tv PROGRAM SELECTOR Filed sept;l '26, 195e i *I l. ,..I 2l OOO@ i000000000000 QcO/Qi 'Qoooooosoolbd FIGYG ".INVENTM 4 @fo @ed O ooo ooooFLORENT/N ji PEARNE.

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l ATTORNEYS o@ ooo o o oofo o 5o ooo@ o o I Y I United Sttes Patent2,893,075 TV PROGRAM SEEECTOR Florentin '.l.' Pear-ne, Alhambra, Caiif.

Application. September 26, 1956,' Serial No. .612,129

Claims; (Cl. .40E-68) This invention relates to indicatingt'devices andpar.- ticularly to devices for indicating television or radio programswhich one may desire towatch or listen to at various times in the courseof a day or a succession of days.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an indicating devicewhich may be set in advance toindicate any number of successiveprogramsto be. tuned in at intervals during a day or succession of days, andwhich is operable, preferably automatically, to indicate each suchprogram in order during a day. Further objects of the invention are toprovide such an indicating device which can be manufactured economicallyfor sale at a reasonable price in retail stores, such as gift andnovelty shops, department stores, and the like; which is ornamental andattractive in appearance;v and which is simple to set and easy to readwithva minimum of manipulation and attention.

While many variants of the presentinvention for a variety of similarindicating uses are contemplated, the invention is illustrated and moreparticularly described herein with reference to a specic embodimentparticularly designed to be set in advance for indicating a series ofsuccessive television programs to be selected in the course of each dayfor a period of a full week.

The inventiony ischaracterised by a cylindrical drum or the likerotatable about its axis andI having oneset of indicia spaced about itscircumference for designating one series of time steps, for example, thehours of a day, and another set of indicia spaced axially along thedrumfor indicating a second series of time steps, for example, the days of aweek. A multiplicity of means, suchas holes to receive appropriatelymarked pegs, are spaced over the surface of the drum corresponding todifferent times e. g. hours or quarter hours) inthe iirst series of timesteps for conveying information associated with each time period in thesecond series of time steps. By rotating the drum one revolutionduring'the time corresponding to the sum of said rst series of timesteps, and by providing a stationary pointer or reference point or line,the information which the device has been set to convey may be readdirectly for each preselected time as it is reached. By providing aclock motor or the like to rotate the drum one revolution during thetime corresponding to the sum of the first series of time steps, thedevice may be made automatically operative.

The foregoing objects, features, and advantages of the invention will bemore fully understood from the following detailed description of anembodiment of the invention and from the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of an illustrative device embodying theinvention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical, sectional View of the device of Fig. l takenaxially therethrough;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig.` 3, but

2. on' anV enlarged` scale, showing in greater detail the structure of.a reference indicator raised to its highest position;

Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 4 showinga simplified form of referenceindicator; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary elevational view similar to Fig. 1, but on anenlarged scale, showing how pegs may be inserted'in the device of Figs.1 to 4 to indicate the channel numbers of television. stations to betuned in at desired times during. a succession of days.

Referring to the drawing, a hollow pedestal, generally designated 10,may suitable be molded of plastic and may include a hollow base portion11 and a hollow supporting boss 12-extending upwardly from the baseportion. A spring driven or electricallyvdriven clock.- type motorv 13ma-y be disposed withinv the hollow supporting boss 12 and be securedthereto `by screws 14 or the like about' theupper end thereof.

The motor 13may have an output shaft 16 rotated by the motor on avertical axis.A The shaft 16 may serve both to supportand to drive anannular hub 17, which may surround and be suitably secured to the shaft16, as shown, for rotation therewith about their vertical axis.

The hub 17 ispreferably shaped to define a bowl-like recess 18adaptedtoreceive a quantity of indicator pegs usedv in settingthe deviceas hereinafter described. The recess 18 may be provided with any desiredtype of removable or hinged cover 19.

A- cylindrical.metal, indicator drum 2l. may be telescopically fittedover and permanently secured to a suit able seat 22 about the peripheryof the hub 17, with any desired type ofpressed or snap-locking. iit orother securing means (not shown). The drum 21 extends downwardly,surrounding and concentric with the boss 12, to a level closely adjacentthe'base portion11.

The indicator drum 21 has a multiplicity of meansl distributed over itssurface, in afpattern hereafter described, for releasably holding whatmay, for want of a better term, be calledV information elements. Intheir.

simplest forms, these means may be roundholes 24'y through the indicatordrum` 21, and the information elements may be round, tapered pegs 25adapted to" befinserted in the holes with a wedging fit. Thepegs maybeprovided with flat tops or heads onl which information for example,ninety-six equallyv spaced holes inV each suchv row, so that in each rowthere is one hole for each quarter hour in a twenty-four hour day. Thenumber of circumferentiall rows of holes may, for example, be 14,`arranged in seven pairs ofsuch rows, the rows of each pair being moreclosely spaced than the distance between pairs to provide a distinctpair of circumferential rows for each dayof a calendar week.y

The holes in Vall of the rows are aligned in ninety-.six vertical oraxially extending rows so that a vertical-or axially extending referenceline fixed to the base portion- 11 of the pedestal 10 will be inalignment with all 14 holes in a vertical or axial row at a givenmomentV as` the drum is rotated, and will be in alignment sequen tiallywith each ofthe ninety-six vertical or axialrowsfduring one revolutionof the indicator drum 21 about its axis.

Numbers 1 to 12 may be inscribed about each segmental half of the hub 17to designate the hours of a twenty-four hour day, one such numeral beingdisposed above every fourth vertical or axial row of holes 24 in theindicator drum 21. Also appropriate A. M. and P. M. indicia or the like(not shown) may be inscribed on the hub 17, or the hour indiciaindicating, say 6:00 P. M. to 6:0() A. M. may be inscribed in black orin a dark color and the remaining hour indicia may be inscribed in alight or bright color to distinguish the night hours from the daylighthours. The names of the seven days of a week may be inscribedimmediately above each pair of circumferential holes 24.

A reference indicator, generally designated 26, may be mounted on thebase portion 11 of the pedestal 10 for vertical adjustment to dispose apointer 27 on the end thereof opposite any one of the seven pairs ofcircumferential rows of holes 24 in the indicator drum 21, or oppositethe inscribed indicia indicating each day of a week. The indicatormember 26 may comprise a thin, liexible, steel tape 28, slightly bowedin transverse prole to give it a degree of rigidity suicient for asubstantial length thereof to be self-supporting for the height that itmay project above the base portion 11 of the pedestal 10. This tape 28may extend through a slot 29 in the base portion 11, and downwardlybelow a guide bracket 31, to a sharp bend 32 in the tape. From the bend32, the tape may extend radially inwardly and slightly upwardly for adistance inside the pedestal to a terminal clip 33.

The bend 32 in the tape may be maintained by a bracket comprising a pairof side plates 34 (only one being shown) having a pair of closely spacedstruts 36, 37 joining the bottoms thereof adjacent their outer edge anda single strut 38 joining the bottoms thereof adjacent their inner edge.This bracket may suitably be stamped and formed as a single piece from asheet of thin metal and may be secured in any desired manner in a fixedposition as shown inside the base portion 10 of the pedestal 11. Thespacing of the bracket side plates 34 is preferably only slightlygreater than the width of the tape 28, and the pair of struts 36, 37 arespaced just far enough apart so that the tape may freely slidelongitudinally therebetween. The single strut 38 supports the inwardextension of the tape 28 at the angle shown. Friction between the tape28 and struts 36, 37, 38 is caused by the resistance of the bowed tapeto bending at the point 32, and this provides some slight resistance tolongitudinal sliding movement of the tape so that it will remain in anyposition at which such movement may desirably be stopped and, yet,permit the tape to be manually so moved with ease by lifting upwardly orpressing downwardly on the pointer 27. The terminal clip 33 limits suchupward movement by engaging the single strut 38 as shown in Fig. 4, andthe pointer 27 obviously limits such downward movement by engaging thetop surface of the base portion 11 of the pedestal 10.

As will be apparent from the foregoing, the motor 13 may be geared toturn the drum 16, hub 17, and indicator drum 21 one full revolution each24 hours to move a. different one of the vertical or axial rows of holes24 opposite the stationary reference indicator every quarter hour. Also,the pointer 27 on the tape 28 may be manually raised and lowered onceeach day of the week so as to designate the circumferential pair of rowsof holes corresponding to that day.

Setting the device in advance to indicate, during a week, eachtelevision program which a user of the device may Wish to view merelyinvolves placing appropriately num bered pegs in holes 24 correspondingto the particular day and time of day when each of the preselectedprograms will be broadcast. Thus, a peg number 7 may be placed in a holecorresponding to 4:15 P. M. on Sunday to designate channel 7 on which adesired program is to be broadcast at that time; a pair of pegs numbered1 and 2 may be placed one above the other in the two holes 24corresponding to 6:00 P. M. on Monday to designate channel 12 on which adesired program is to be broadcast at that time; a pair of pegs numbered3 and 4 may be placed one above the other in the two holes correspondingto 5:45 P. M. on Tuesday to designate channel 34 on which a desiredprogram is to be broadcast at that time; etc. By consulting the programlistings of major programs commonly published in advance for a fullWeek, all of the programs which a user of the device may wish to viewduring that week may be set up on the device in the foregoing manner atone time. Additional programs can also be set up during the week, as maybe desired, in View of later publicity or late changes in programschedules.

Starting at the beginning of a week with the pointer set at the verticalposition corresponding to Sunday, and lowering the pointer manually atthe end of each day to the vertical position corresponding to thefollowing day, the automatically driven and timed rotation of the drum21 causes the peg or pegs corresponding to each preselected program tomove to a position opposite the pointer 27 at the time when that programis to be broadcast. Thus, with but one simple, manual adjustment of theposition of the pointer 27 each day, all preselected programs during anentire week will be automatically designated at the appropriate timeduring the week.

As will be apparent to any skilled mechanic, many physical modificationsof the above described device may be made without departing from theprinciples and the spirit and true scope of the present invention.Obviously, for example, the pointer 27 on the reference indicator may bea movable element 27 mounted for vertical travel on a fixed, verticallydisposed indicator rod 26' threaded into or otherwise supported on apedestal base 11. Without unduly complicating the mechanism, movement ofsuch a pointer 27', or bodily movement of the reference indicator 26could also readily be made automatic if desired. In the direction offurther simplification, on the other hand, a movable or adjustableindicator could be dispensed with, leaving the tape 28 in its uppermostposition or substituting an equivalent fixed reference rod 26 or thelike, and relying upon the indicia designating the days of the week toidentify the circumferential row, or pair of rows, of holes 24 to beobserved on any particular day. Also, as will be obvious, the pedestal10 and related mechanism may be modified to dispose the axis of the drum21 in a horizontal position rather than a vertical position. All suchmodifications as would occur to one skilled in the art are contemplatedhereby, and the present invention is not to be limited to the particulardetails of the illustrated embodiment of the invention except to theextent expressly required by the terms of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A visual program indicator comprising a base, a structure defining acylindrical surface, said structure being mounted on said base forrotation relative thereto about the cylindrical axis of said structure,a constant speed motor mounted on said base for rotating said structureabout said axis relative to said base, a first set of indicia spacedcircumferentially about said cylindrical surface for designating oneseries of time steps, a second set of indicia spaced axially along saidsurface for designating a second series of time steps, the sum of thetime steps in one of said series being included in each step of theother of said series, and a multiplicity of means spaced over saidsurface for releasably holding any of a set of information elementsadapted to convey information to be selectively associated with a timeindicated by its location on said surface, said holding means beingarranged in axially spaced circumferentially extending rows andcircumferentially spaced axially extending rows, there being at leastone circumferentially extending row designated by each indicium of saidfirst set of indicia and at least one axially extending row designatedby each indicium of said second set of indicia, and a referenceindicator mounted on said base for indicating reading positions as saidstructure is rotated about said axis relative to said base.

2. A visual program indicator according to claim 1 in which saidreference indicator comprises a resilient ribbon partially housed withinsaid base with one end thereof projecting verticallytherefrom along aline spaced outwardly from said cylindrical surface, a pointer on saidone end of said tape, and means in said base holding said tape forlongitudinal movement of said one end thereof in an axial directionalong said surface from oppoiste the loWermost to opposite the uppermostof said circumferentially extending rows of element holding means.

3. A visual program indicator according to claim 1 in which saidreference indicator comprises a resilient ribbon partially housed withinsaid base with one end thereof projecting vertically therefrom along aline spaced outwardly from said cylindrical surface, a pointer on saidone end of said tape, and means in said base holding said tape forlongitudinal movement of said one end thereof in an axial directionalong said surface from opposite the lower-most to opposite theuppermost of said circumferentially extending rows of element holdingmeans, said ribbon having sufficient stiffness to maintain itselfstraight over the vertically projecting length thereof and havingsuiicient resilient iiexibility to withstand substantial sharp bendingwithout permanent deformation, and the portion of said ribbon housedwithin said base extending generally normal to said axis and curving tomerge into said vertically projecting portion thereof, and guide meansin said base holding the curve in said ribbon to provide frictionalresistance to its longitudinal movement for positioning said pointer.

4. A ltelevision program selector comprising a base, a structuredefining a cylindrical surface, said structure being mounted on saidbase for rotation relative thereto about the cylindrical axis of saidstructure, a constant speed motor mounted on said base for rotating saidstructure about said axis relative to said base, a first set of indiciaspaced circumferentially about said cylindrical surface for designatinga series of times of day, a second set of indicia spaced axially alongsaid surface for designating different days, and a multiplicity of meansspaced over said surface for releasably holding any of a set ofinformation elements adapted to convey information to be selectivelyassociated with a particular time of a particular day by its location onsaid surface, said holding means being arranged in axially spacedcircumferentially extending rows and circumferentially spaced axiallyextending rows, there being two of said rows designated by each of saidindicium in one of said sets of information elements for receiving apair of information elements in adjacent positions generally alignedwith one indicium in each of said sets, whereby information elementsnumbered 0 to 9 may be combined to designate any television channelnumber of one or two digits and may be held on said surface at a pointthereon corresponding to any time of any particular day indicated bysaid sets of indicia.

5. A visual program selector comprising a base, a structure defining acylindrical surface, said structure being mounted on said base forrotation relative thereto about the cylindrical axis of said structure,a first set of indicia spaced circumferentially about said cylindricalsurface for designating one series of time steps, a second set ofindicia spaced axially along said surface for designating a secondseries of time steps, the sum of the time steps in one of said seriesbeing included in each step of the other of said series, and amultiplicity of means spaced over said surface for releasably holdingany of a set of information elements adapted to convey information to beselectively associated with a time indicated by its location on saidsurface, said holding means being arranged in axially spacedcircumferentially extending rows and circumferentially spaced axiallyextending rows, there being at least one circumferentially extending rowdesignated by each indicium of said first set of indicia and at leastone axially extending row designated by each indicium of said second setof indicia, and a reference indicator mounted on said' base forindicating reading positions as said struc,- ture is rotated about saidaxis relative to said base.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,874,201 Mathers 'Aug. 30, 1932 1,986,326 Davidson et al. Ian. 1, 19352,116,127 Stciert May 3, 1938 2,400,268 Skene May 14, 1946 2,621,429Teich Dec. 16, 1952

